Suspect in Ohio officer's fatal shooting has pro bono lawyer

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (AP) — One of the two attorneys who represented a man accused of fatally shooting an Ohio policeman and then withdrew from the potential death penalty case will keep that role after all, working for free.

Herschel Jones III pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges in Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell's January slaying. The 34-year-old Cottrell was found behind the village's municipal building, after Jones' ex-girlfriend warned police he was "looking to kill a cop."

The Mount Vernon News (http://bit.ly/1OSWKCY ) reports attorneys Bruce Malek and Brandon Crunkilton withdrew after the Ohio Public Defender's office raised ethical concerns about them representing Jones through a public defender's office while being part of a private law firm. A judge then appointed Crunkilton to the case again, as a private attorney working pro bono.